Everything You Need to Know About Snooker’s 2026 Masters

by Roy Brindley, 8 January 2026

The world’s top-16 snooker players will converge on London’s Alexandra Palace this week to decide who is 2026’s Snooker Master.

Judd Trump is the 2026 Masters favourite. Is that status based on reputation or form? ©Getty

Key Facts:

• Ronnie O’Sullivan’s bid for a ninth Masters title will get underway next week.
• Ding Junhui is set to make his 20th appearance at the Triple Crown event.
• Judd Trump is the favourite, but his 4/1 odds suggest the competition is wide-open.

Snooker’s Masters competition gets underway this week. Staged at the Alexandra Palace, London, annually since 2012 – an exception came in 2021 when Covid-19 forced it to relocate to Milton Keynes – this small but select competition comprises the world’s top 16 players. It is the second leg of the sport’s Triple Crown.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has won the Masters a remarkable eight times. He has reached an additional six finals. This year’s competition features eight other previous winners. Mark Selby is a three-time champion, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and Judd Trump have taken the title twice.

Noticeably, there are five Chinese players in this year’s competition. Last year, there were three; 2024’s event featured two, and 2023’s competition had no Chinese representatives. Ding Junhui, who landed this competition in 2011 when it was staged at Wembley, makes his 20th appearance next week.

Bookmakers Suggest the 2026 Masters Is Wide Open

The UK’s online betting sites quote Ding Junhui’s chances of winning the 2026 Masters at odds of 33/1. The price puts the veteran amongst the outsiders. Only Si Jiahui, Gary Wilson and Xiao Guodong have been given bigger price tags.

However, bookmakers are uncertain about the destination of the winner’s trophy. Judd Trump is the favourite, but his 4/1 odds suggest the competition is wide-open. Five players trade below 10/1, suggesting this is the most open Masters tournament in over a decade.

2026 Masters Snooker Betting

Judd Trump 4/1, Mark Selby 5/1, Zhao Xintong 11/2, Ronnie O’Sullivan 8/1, Neil Robertson 9/1, Kyren Wilson 10/1, Shaun Murphy 12/1, Wu Yize 18/1, John Higgins 20/1, Mark Williams 20/1, Mark Allen 20/1, Barry Hawkins 33/1.

Masters Snooker First Round Schedule

Masters Competition Format

The first-round, quarter-final (scheduled for Thursday, January 15th, and Friday, January 16th), and semi-final (Saturday, January 17th) matches are all ‘best of 11 frames’ encounters. The final, played on Sunday, January 18th, is a race to 10 frames as a ‘best of 19 frames’ contest.

2026 Masters Prize Money

• Winner: £350,000
• Runner-up: £140,000
• Semi-finals: £75,000
• Quarter-finals: £40,000
• Last 16: £25,000
• Highest break: £15,000

Former Masters Winners

• 2025: Shaun Murphy
• 2024: Ronnie O’Sullivan
• 2023: Judd Trump
• 2022: Neil Robertson
• 2021: Yan Bingtao
• 2020: Stuart Bingham
• 2019: Judd Trump
• 2018: Mark Allen
• 2017: Ronnie O’Sullivan
• 2016: Ronnie O’Sullivan
• 2015: Shaun Murphy

How Can I Watch the 2026 Masters Snooker?

The 2026 Masters will be broadcast live in the UK on BBC Sport, with coverage across BBC One, BBC Two, the Red Button and BBC iPlayer. The competition will also be shown live on Eurosport/TNT Sports and Discovery+.

Who Is the Best 2026 Snooker Masters Bet?

Judd Trump has not lifted a trophy in his eleven 2025/26 appearances, indicating that he is not at his best. However, there have been 13 individual winners of this season’s 14 tournaments, confirming there is currently no snooker-playing superpower.

The sportsbook arm of Unibet Casino has gone out on a limb, quoting Mark Allen’s Masters odds at 25/1. The Northern Irishman won this competition in 2018, and he makes a habit of winning major tournaments when least expected – most recently the 2025 English Open.

In a wide-open year, a crystal ball may be needed to identify the Masters winner. However, it is clear that the hot and cold blowing Mark Allen is overpriced, especially if whispers that he currently regularly practices with Ronnie O’Sullivan are true.